Welcome to Medical News Today

Healthline Media, Inc. would like to process and share personal data (e.g., mobile ad id) and data about your use of our site (e.g., content interests) with our third party partners (see a current list) using cookies and similar automatic collection tools in order to a) personalize content and/or offers on our site or other sites, b) communicate with you upon request, and/or c) for additional reasons upon notice and, when applicable, with your consent.

Healthline Media, Inc. is based in and operates this site from the United States. Any data you provide will be primarily stored and processed in the United States, pursuant to the laws of the United States, which may provide lesser privacy protections than European Economic Area countries.

By clicking “accept” below, you acknowledge and grant your consent for these activities unless and until you withdraw your consent using our rights request form. Learn more in our Privacy Policy.

Please accept our privacy terms

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience, personalize content and offers, show targeted ads, analyze traffic, and better understand you. We may share your information with third-party partners for marketing purposes. To learn more and make choices about data use, visit our Advertising Policy and Privacy Policy. By clicking “Accept and Continue” below, (1) you consent to these activities unless and until you withdraw your consent using our rights request form, and (2) you consent to allow your data to be transferred, processed, and stored in the United States.

Physically, sleep allows the body to recuperate; for instance, muscles are given time to heal and grow.

Sleep deprivation is considered to be a large-scale concern in the United States. Due to a range of factors — including excessive screen time, artificial lighting, busy lives, and hectic jobs — around 1 in 3 people in the U.S. do not get the recommended 7 hours of sleep each night.

Scientists are still unraveling this epidemic's potential consequences on health.

Lack of sleep and diabetes

Studies have already shown that people who do not get enough sleep are more likely to eat more, exercise less, and put on excess weight.

Studies have also shown an increased risk of diabetes, but exactly why diabetes might occur has not been understood.

A new study expands on our understanding of this relationship. The authors of the latest study, at Toho University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, explain further, saying:

"It was not clear whether glucose intolerance was due to the changes in food intake or energy expenditure or to the sleep deprivation itself."

In other words, are the changes in diet and exercise related to poor sleep the reason for a rise in diabetes risk, or is something else at work? The researchers set out to understand exactly why sleep deprivation might undermine insulin sensitivity.

To do so, they used a mouse model, focusing on changes in their livers. For just 1 night, they kept half of the mice awake for 6 hours during their usual sleep time.

The scientists observed the mice carefully and, every time they appeared to be dozing off, they would gently handle or touch them. In this way, they kept them awake without causing undue stress to the animal.

To pick apart the impact of lifestyle factors, for 2 weeks before the study began, all mice were given access to unlimited high-fat food and sugar water; also, the mice had their movement restricted.

This way, the researchers could observe the effect of sleep deprivation in isolation because, whether the mice had slept or not, they were fed similar diets and could not exercise.

The effects of 6 hours of sleep deprivation

Immediately after the sleep intervention, the scientists measured glucose levels and fat content in the liver. They found elevated blood glucose in the liver of sleep-deprived mice. These changes were significant after just one 6-hour period of sleep deprivation.

The researchers also measured triglyceride levels in the liver because an increase in production is associated with an increase in insulin resistance, or an inability to process insulin correctly. As expected, in the sleep-deprived mice, levels were elevated.

Also, in the sleep-deprived mice, the investigators measured changes in liver enzymes that are associated with metabolism. The authors believe that these may be the root cause of insulin resistance and buildup of fat in the liver.

The authors conclude that sleep deprivation is, therefore, a risk factor for diabetes, regardless of changes in activity and diet. If this is the case, and further studies back up the findings, ensuring that people with increased diabetes risk have a good sleep routine could be vital.

2018 Healthline Media UK Ltd. All rights reserved. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.